Lehi Sports
Falcon football beats the undefeated Pioneers in tough league battle
Jennifer Thomas,Bowen Thomas | Lehi Free Press
The Skyridge football team snuck by Lehi in a hard-fought tilt between 6A rivals for Region 3 primacy at home on Thursday night (Sept. 26).
Falcon junior quarterback, Kaneal Sweetwyne delivered the decisive 17-yard touchdown run with 5:46 remaining in the fourth quarter. Skyridge senior kicker Blake Hester contributed to the victory with two clutch field goals, one being 28 yards into the wind that tied the game at halftime.
Lehi senior quarterback Jet Niu scored two rushing touchdowns that included a 13-yard run as time expired in the fourth quarter.
Skyridge opened the scoring on the first drive of the game with a methodical run and short pass that resulted in a one-yard score by senior running back Zaeden Selu.
Lehi scored next on a 40-yard field goal by senior kicker Gavin Fenn. Turnovers plagued both teams over the next few drives with the Falcons turning over the ball twice and Lehi once.
Late in the second quarter Lehi senior middle linebacker Paul Latu picked off a Sweetwyne pass to give Lehi the ball. Niu connected on a deep pass down the sideline to junior wide receiver Legend Glasker, which set up a 2-yard score by Niu and and a Lehi 10-7 lead.
Skyridge answered with a two-minute drive that was finished by Hester’s game-tying 38-yard field goal to end the first half.
The Falcon team hit the field energized in the third quarter as Sweetwyne broke loose for 22 yards on a quarterback run, setting up Skyridge in field goal position. Hester kicked a second field goal for 20 yards, putting the Falcons in the lead.
“Kaneal did a great job and came through for us in the fourth quarter with the 99-yard drive. The O-Line was awesome all night,” said Skyridge head Coach Justin Hemm.
The fourth quarter was a Falcon defensive effort as they stopped the Pioneers from scoring inside the five-yard line twice. Sweetwyne’s final touchdown put his team in the lead for good. Lehi’s Niu gave a full effort with a score on a quarterback scramble as time expired, leaving the Falcons with a victory.
Hemm said, “Defense did well tonight. Having a penalty and reset and do it again was huge. They were tremendous all night flying around and making it difficult. The entire defense was at their best tonight, nothing came easy.
“The goal-line stops and forcing a turnover in a critical situation in a 13-10 ball game, where a touchdown changes the dynamics made the difference.”
The Falcon defense held Lehi’s potent offense to 10 points with zero scores through the air. Falcon enior linebacker De’Shawn Toilolo harassed Niu all night long with three QB sacks and forced a fumble.
Senior linebacker Iakopo Malufau had several tackles and pressured the Pioneer rushing attack, containing Lehi’s star running back Devaughn Eka.
Lehi head Coach Ed Larson said, “I feel like we had two opportunities inside the one on two different drives but the Skyridge defense did a heck of a job shutting us out. We have to learn how to finish in the trenches; that is the difference between winning and losing.”
The Lehi defense played well with two interceptions and forced a fumble, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Skyridge’s balanced attack.
Larson said, “We have to fix those little things, that is the difference between winning and losing. Practice next week is about us; we need to improve and practice impeccably and do things right every time if we want to win.”
“Maybe we needed this loss to reset and have the opportunity to get back together,” said Eka. “We need to practice and do what we do normally and everybody do their 1-11th. We will need to practice with a little more focus and intensity next week to prepare for the next opponent.”
Both teams had a good showing of sportsmanship throughout the game as they played with class and without any form of malice on the field.
Skyridge senior offensive lineman Ben Howard said, “Lehi is well coached and disciplined and the game tonight wasn’t chippy at all as both teams showed respect.”
“I thought both teams exhibited great sportsmanship. It wasn’t smooth on both sides and both teams didn’t let previous plays impact next plays, and both did a great job with resetting, lining up and playing the next play,” said Hemm.
The students on both sides of the field cheered for their teams and displayed mutual respect, making it a friendly Thursday night rivalry.
Howard said, “In a situation where we are on the one-yard line, I think we all knew that we had to dig deep. Our efforts showed tonight on the 99-yard drive with a touchdown which won the game.”
He added, “We practiced and worked our game plan this week. Lehi has great players and challenged us, but our preparation helped us to pull through.”
Sweetwyne said, “It was a nail-biter tonight. The O-line gave a good effort and they are always pushing; that is what they do, they don’t stop pushing. I feel great about the team effort and this game tonight. It was a great win.”
Both teams will reset at practice as they prepare for their upcoming games. Skyridge will go on the road to take on the highly-ranked Lone Peak Knights on Friday (Oct. 4). Lehi will host Westlake the same night. The kickoffs are scheduled for 7 p.m.
